Nirbhaya Commute- Making travel safer for women

October 09, 2013admin

Thousands of women step out today, with apprehension, fear and unrest. Mothers and family wait on the porch until their young daughter, sister or wife come home safe. While on one side the country has developed in several facets, and is no longer listed as an underdeveloped country, on the other side India still does not provide a safe place for women. 66 years of independence and women still fear stepping out with confidence. While many excel in various fields, they still have butterflies in their stomach when they have to travel late.
It is not out of place to say that commuters, be it men or women are always at risk when travelling in cosmopolitan cities, owing to the rise in crime rate. However, women are most vulnerable.
Nirbhaya sad story shook the country, and brought up many social and moral questions to the forefront. It also questioned the security system in the country and shook up many of the leaders to take more serious preventive measures to safeguard the society in general and women in particular. Nirbhaya commute is the brainchild of HMR MD Mr. N.V.S. Reddy, who is shaping the Metro Rail system to protect the women travelling in Hyderabad and give them a safer mode of transport to commute.
What is Nirbhaya Commute?
Nirbhaya commute is a tribute to Nirbhaya, the Delhi rape victim who succumbed to death after days of agony following a gang rape on a moving bus. This initiative taken by HMR does more than just monitoring Metro.

Some of the measures to strengthen safety and security include:
• Constant monitoring of coaches and stations with the help of CCTV cameras
• Deployment of women police personnel at stations and in coaches
• Creating awareness among women commuters on how they can safeguard themselves while commuting
• Using social media platforms to bring about safety awareness and have a constant dialogue with public to spread the message of safety
• Use social media to solicit suggestions from public on how to further improve safety for women and other commuters
These simple steps help a woman feel safer while using the Metro service. Camps conducted every now and then, also take feedback from the public on how safety can be hyped up at the Metro stations as well as on the coaches and try and implement the best of ideas in order to make the Metro travel safer for women.